The Great British Revival

Marco Pierre White, renowned chef and restaurateur, has successfully breathed new life into two old-world shophouses in Mohamed Sultan Road, converting them into a stunning restaurant and hotel.

- Amy Van

Two adjoining conservation shophouses along 28 Mohamed Sultan Road in Singapore have been quietly undergoing an overhaul in the last two and a half years. As you enter the now-connected buildings, one of which was formerly occupied by Madam Wong’s, a popular bar more than a decade ago, you’d be awestruck by the transformation.

The man who has put his stamp on this one-of-a-kind establishment? Marco Pierre White. The legendary British chef-restaurateur and his team have carved out a brand new restaurant and hotel called The English House. The restaurant opened in May, while the hotel will launch later in the year.

As you step into the 19th-century building, the fact that it used to comprise two shophouses would not even occur to you. Instead, you’ll see a sizeable structure stretching all the way to the back. White says: “The buildings were derelict. I took inspiration from the original architecture.  

“I take inspiration from everywhere but, here, I let the buildings dictate. You have to be sensitive. When you take over a building which is listed, you have to allow the architecture of the old to influence and inspire the new.” The 56-year-old adds: “I’ve been to Singapore over 30 times in the last two-and-a-half years. I haven’t seen an establishment that represents the past like this.”

For him, it’s particularly important to highlight its beauty.  He created and drew everything from scratch. “I believe that the designer gives you a look, and not a feel. To me it’s all about creating a feel. I’m very visual – I don’t take photos. It’s all in my mind. I looked at many books on shophouses and colonial buildings in Singapore and Hong Kong. I’ve brought a little piece of England into a shophouse in Singapore.”